It’s Better Than Ever
The Bay of Plenty region has launched a new tourism campaign in an attempt to erase images of oiled beaches and dead wildlife from the minds of potential visitors, rebranding itself with the slogan…
News of New Zealanders via Global Media
Exploring The North
Cathedral Cove, “the looming limestone archway seen in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” was one of the scenic spots The Tribune’s Sarah Linn stopped at on her tour of New Zealand. “Travelling along State Highway 25,…
Tolkien Tourism In Matamata
The Lord of the Rings franchise is partially responsible for a tourism windfall in New Zealand with global visitor numbers up 40 per cent since 2000. At least five official LOTR-themed tour companies are in operation….
Stay At The Furthermost Edge
Tucked up in the high country of the South Island, Mount Aspiring teetering to the rear, Lake Wanaka far down below, the 65,000-acre Minaret Station is not so much the middle of nowhere as…
Gorge Of Gold
The Karangahake Gorge, between the Coromandel Peninsula townships of Paeroa and Waihi, features walkways offering a glimpse of goldmining history amidst dramatic scenery. The USA Today’s Liz Lewis describes: “Enormous foundation ruins of the gold…
Paddling Perfection
Abel Tasman National Park, Lake Tarawera and Urupukapuka Island in the Bay of Islands are all included in The Australian’s “Ten top paddling experiences in Australia and New Zealand.” “ day-touring itineraries include…
Upon A Breathing Planet
“Step into the volcanic crater on White Island, among the steaming fumaroles and geysers, and you’re instantly in a geothermal wonderland,” American journalist Jill Robinson writes for The Washington Post. “The hissing and bubbling…
From Top To Bottom
The 3000km Te Araroa, or The Long Pathway, the world’s longest walking trail, will be officially opened on 3 December in Wellington. The trail is the result of a massive volunteer effort that…
Smoking Hot Tourism
“Geo-thermal activity is everywhere ,” Ritu Singh writes for The Times of India. “Pits steam, holes smoke and water boils wherever you look – inside hotels, behind bushes even in people’s…
Korean Influx Boosts Coffers
Auckland is projected to be the new hot destination for Koreans in the upcoming months with Korean Air increasing capacity on Auckland flights by 30 per cent, injecting a potential $10 million in to…
On the Bus on the Cheap
New Zealand is a popular backpacking destination for Canadians with its relaxed beaches, spectacular scenery and reputation for extreme fun. The Calgary Herald’s Sarah Deveau gives advice about how to travel New Zealand on…
Plan for Luxury Moving Hotel
Businessmen John Johnston and Dave Nixon are behind a planned luxury Orient-Express-style luxury train that would travel the length of New Zealand catering to foreign tourists with a big budget. The pair are looking…
Views Up-Front and Horse-Back
“There’s no finer way to experience the pristine New Zealand countryside than riding horses at Rangihau Ranch, in the Coromandel,” according to Lost at E Minor’s Zac in an article included in The Morning…
Rakiura Impressions
In 2002, 85 per cent of Stewart Island was designated as Rakiura National Park, named for the Maori word meaning “Land of the Glowing Skies.” The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dennis Passa writes that sampling…
Geothermal Goodness
“When I first see Shane Beattie engulfed in clouds of steam, sweat running in rivulets from beneath his white chef’s cap,” Wanda Hennig writes in an article for South Africa’s Independent Online, “he looks…
New Zealand a Travel Success
New Zealand has won five awards at the 18th World Travel Awards in the Australasia category, with Air New Zealand voted as the region’s ‘leading airline’ and Wellington International as ‘leading airport’….
Baronial City Still Impressive
“A plan for was laid out on paper in Scotland and given the old Gaelic name for Edinburgh, Dun Eideann,” The Independent’s Adrian Mourby explains. “There were high hopes of this port settlement,…
Dorsal Fin Encounters
“Kaikoura is not a name that trips off the tongue when you list those lucky places that offer encounters with nature and a touch of luxury,” The Independent’s Jonathan Lorie reports. “But this township…
Elements Emblazoned
Its beauty is dazzling enough by day, but when the sun goes down New Zealand’s seas, caves and starlit skies are another world Jonathan Freedland describes in a Guardian travel article. On an overnight…
Gulls Lift Off Over St Clair
Seagulls take off in the early at morning St Clair Beach in a photograph included in the Guardian’s ’24 hours in pictures’ series. St Clair Beach, located ten minutes from Dunedin’s city centre, is…
Serene Silence by Turquoise
“What I was really looking forward to over the next few days was this: jet-boating across the freezing Rakaia river and visiting Lake Tekapo, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world with…
Wellington Makes a Point
“Once a flyover city for tourists as they jetted between the thermal regions of the north and the cloud-scraping mountains of the south, or at best a pass-through destination for those taking the ferry…
Like No Place on Earth
“The South Island is a lazy paradise of rolling green hills, craggy, glacier-clad mountains and rugged wind-swept beaches,” describes the Mark Johanson for the International Business Times. “You’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere in…
For Explorers at Heart
New Zealand is the focus of CNN’s weekly Destination Adventure series “for the explorer at heart” featuring favourite regional foods, secrets from the locals and the best photos and stories from readers. Highly recommended…
Chinese Tourists Flock
The number of Chinese tourists visiting New Zealand rose 22 per cent year-on-year to 133, in the 12 months that ended 31 July. Associate Tourism Minister Jonathan Coleman said China is one of New…
Topping Life Lists
New Zealand features in Washington Post series ‘Going Our Way’ which this week describes the best way of working to see the sights of the country. Orlando traveller Dara Curran asked the newspaper for…
Surge of Visitors for World Cup
Despite a strong New Zealand dollar, international rugby fans haven’t been deterred from organising travel to New Zealand for this year’s Rugby World Cup. The most recent figures forecast 1, more visitors than previously…
Cheap and Cheerful
Auckland is the seventh-cheapest tourist-friendly city in the world, cheaper than Marrakesh in Morocco, rated eighth. The website Tripadvisor has launched TripIndex, which compares the cost of 5 tourist cities around the world. The…
Walking on the Moon
Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been included in the online travel adviser Cheapflights’ top ten hiking destinations list alongside the Appalachian Trail and Mount Kilimanjaro. “New Zealand continuously tops adventure travel lists thanks…
Finding Solitude in the North
New Zealand is American musician Moby’s favourite place on the planet to holiday. “My fear is that every person you talk to is going to give that answer, because New Zealand is so beautiful…
Parking up at Home
Native Parks is an ingenious scheme that lets you park up at the home of a regular New Zealand family, free of charge. The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland writes: “The pitch might be…
Ever-Changing Glacial Beauty
Franz Josef’s remote location on the wild West Coast of the South Island makes it the perfect place to hide away, and it’s one of the few places in the world where a glacier…
Après-Ski in Queenstown
While New Zealand towns generally don’t have a reputation as nightlife hubs, the South Island’s adventure capital, Queenstown is a vibrant exception according to The Australian’s Susan Kurosawa. “My visit is just before the…
Out of the Blue Accolades
Akaroa lodge Maison de la Mer has been named fourth-best bed and breakfast to stay in the world by leading online guide Tripadvisor. Owner Bruce Hyland said that after the award was announced, the…
Living in a Postcard
There are no cars in New Zealand according to the Telegraph’s Tarquin Cooper, on holiday experiencing “a country unlike any other on Earth.” “As someone who is used to battling Britain’s congested…
Roadside Mussels the Best
Green-lipped mussels, or Perna canaliculus are indigenous and exclusive to New Zealand, and they’re a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, The Australian’s Susan Hurley writes. The molluscs are almost lurid, with fluorescent green stripes…
Reverence for Heritage
A more “tranquil” New Zealand adventure is sought by the Wall Street Journal’s Paul Baylis, who takes a kayaking daytrip on Lake Taupo to see the Maori carvings in the rock face…
Pioneer Territory Emerges
The sumptuous depiction of New Zealand in the 195s and ‘6s trumps the weepy story at the heart of one of the most expensive Dutch films ever made writes New York Times…
Auckland in the Spotlight
Food writer Simon Farrell-Green is the Guardian’s tour guide about Auckland ahead of the Rugby World Cup. Auckland’s life is “all in the suburbs” according to writer Rachel Dixon. Dixon is recommended Little &…
Wellington in the Spotlight
Wellington journalist and blogger Nick Churchouse takes the Guardian about the capital on a culinary tour of where to find the best food and drink between Rugby World Cup games. Wellington is hosting…
Coronet Peak Effects
“I’m at the base of New Zealand’s Coronet Peak,” The Sydney Morning Herald’s Marissa Calligeros writes. “I’m seeing and touching snow for the first time. I’m soon jumping up and down and grinning…
Dunedin in the Spotlight
Dunedin tourist consultant James Hacon and iD Fashion Week organiser Merrin Bath show the Guardian round their favourite haunts in the city that is hosting three of England’s four Rugby World Cup…
Heavy on the Wonders
The South Island may be spectacular, but the North Island’s got its share of amazements too according to International Business Times’ travel writer Mark Johanson. “The North Island is the spot to…
Living Up To Its Nickname
Crewing an America’s Cup 8-foot yacht, NZL41, on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour is the crowning glory of Edmonton Journal travel editor Karen Booth’s North Island trip. “With more than 1, private yachts, Auckland…
City on the Edge of the Pacific
“Nestled in tree-covered hills at the head of a spectacular harbour, Dunedin’s rise to prominence as the gateway to the Otago region came with the discovery of gold at Gabriel’s Gully, to…
Left Past the Fumaroles
After a 2-minute helicopter ride from Whakatane airport to White Island, Sydney Morning Herald journalist Keith Austin’s “first aerial impression is of a volcano from a movie, albeit with one side completely,…
Weathering the Storm
“This picture was taken on our way to Saint Arnaud, but it could have been the west coast of Ireland, as the weather kept changing from sun to lashing rain,” amateur photographer Arnaud Chevalier…
Sans Guide in Wine Country
“I’ve travelled to New Zealand about a dozen times from the US and one of my favourite areas is Marlborough, aka wine country (natch), which is found on the north part of…
Positively Bucolic Township
Russell is a town of some 8 permanent residents, tucked into a beautiful, protected cove in the Bay of Islands, a stunningly beautiful stretch of rocky islets dotted with pines and thick…
Luxurious Isolation
By helicopter to the Southern Alps, The Sydney Morning Herald’s Tricia Welsh discovers Minaret Station, a soft landing in a luxury tent on a sheep and cattle station. “We’re having the ultimate New Zealand…
Auckland’s Own Nantucket
“Once a hippie haven where forested blocks sold for a few quid, Waiheke is today dotted with multi-million-dollar holiday homes and slick cellar doors (although it remains a firm favourite with artistic types),” The…
Taiwan Looks to Closer Relations
The number of Taiwanese visiting New Zealand has increased by 4 per cent since Wellington granted Republic of China passport holders visa-free privileges last year, Taiwanese representative to New Zealand Elliot Charng said. New…
Fabled Serenity Endures
Despite the tragedy of February’s catastrophic earthquake, New Zealand still delivers sublime travel experiences, writes Chris Leadbeater for The Independent. “Since 1884 has played a role as a lone token of man’s…
Kind and Gentle Comparisons
“If some folks felt a few years back that Canada was the kinder, gentler nation America wanted to be, I felt New Zealand was the kinder, gentler nation we’d like to think of ourselves…
Epic Voyage Via Bora Bora
Cunard’s newest ship, the 292-passenger Queen Elizabeth, will sail an epic, 36-day voyage from Los Angeles to New Zealand and back in early 213, the historic line has announced. Cunard says the trip will…
Legendary Friendly
“We here in the ‘west island’ like to cling to that old cliché of New Zealanders being slightly simple sheep-botherers, so it’s a bit of a shock when you get there and realise how…
